Travelodge has opened its first hotel in Thetford, built on the site of the famous Anchor Hotel featured in Dad’s Army.
The 18th century coaching inn was the site of the 1970’s sitcom’s first-ever scene, filmed in the Anchor’s Norvic Room in 1968. The inn remained popular with the Dad’s Army cast throughout the programme’s nine series.
The site was demolished by Breckland District Council in 2012 and replaced by an £8 million leisure complex, of which Thetford Travelodge is now part. The hotel has added a bespoke plaque on its exterior wall to denote the site’s history with the sitcom.
Thetford Travelodge offers 62 rooms, each of which includes one king bed, a desk, chair, and bathroom with a shower.
The hotel is located on the River Little Ouse, 0.1 miles from the Ancient House Museum of Thetford Life and 0.2 miles from Thetford Priory and the Dad’s Army Museum.
Travelodge Regional Director Gary Steele said, “We are delighted to open our first hotel in Thetford at this landmark site and to continue the tradition of providing good value accommodation to Thetford’s visitors.
“The Norfolk economy is growing at pace, with the opening of Thetford Travelodge, we now operate six hotels across the county but with increasing visitor numbers to the area, there is still a shortage of good quality accommodation at a great value price. Therefore to meet this growing consumer demand we are looking for new hotel sites in: Norwich, Great Yarmouth, Kings Lynn and Cromer. These hotels will create 100 new jobs.”
All of Travelodge’s Norfolk locations have recently been updated as part of the hotel group’s £100 million modernisation programme taking place across Britain.
Rates start at £45 per night.
